This Sunday I took part in the original obstacle course with a team from The Dutch Mud Men group. The event, called Tough Guy, was held near Wolverhampton and tough is an understatement!
About a 3rd of participants don't finish this 15km course as it is a gruelling one. Sadly, this weekend's event was the last Tough Guy event that will take place as licences aren't being renewed due to health and safety (possibly something to do with hyperthermia or some such complaint). Such a shame after 30 years! It's long been one of those events that you have to tick off your list if you're an obstacle course fan, and I was proud to be able to be there with a great group of runners (climbers, sprinters, swimmers and crawlers!).
This really wasn't an event for the faint of heart. Wading through lakes on and off for about a mile out of a nine-mile course filled with about 250 obstacles which I'm sure is aimed to break you mentally and physically is no mean feat. A lot of participants also drop out as hyperthermia gets the better of them. The event is capped at 7000 participants and it was pretty much a mass start at 11 am so as you can imagine, it was carnage!
See more of the BBC coverage here!